How a court jester slapped the king's butt, then brilliantly convinced him not to kill him Triboulet served as court jester under King Francis I, who ruled France from 1515 to 1547 . Triboulet's quick humor rescued him from Francis I's deadly wrath, not once, but twice. Court jesters hold a unique place in history. Playing the fool for kings and queens meant they were always in close proximity to royalty, but so very far from their rank and station. Comedians often like to push boundaries, but that can be a dangerous business when your job is to entertain the peope who have executioners at their beck and call. Especially when you forget your place—or purposely ignore it, as the case may be—and playfully smack the reigning monarch square on the behind. That little whoopsie was the claim to fame of Triboulet, a court jester who served King Francis I in 16th-century France. But it was how he got away with slapping the king on the butt and living to tell about it that earne...
Human Zoos
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| Brussels, Belgium in 1958 |
These zoos were a disturbing phenomenon that emerged in the late 19th century and persisted well into the 20th century. They primarily exhibited Africans and indigenous peoples, treating them as curiosities to be observed by the public.
One notable figure in this history is Carl Hagenbeck, a German entrepreneur, who organized what he called "Peoples Show" or Völkerschau. Hagenbeck's exhibits featured not only animals but also individuals from different cultures, particularly East Asian Islanders and Nubians from Sudan. These exhibits garnered significant attention and were highly popular in cities such as Paris, London, and Berlin.
The World's Fair of 1889 in Paris attracted a staggering 28 million people, with one of its major attractions being the display of 400 indigenous individuals. This trend continued with subsequent World's Fairs and Colonial Exhibitions, where mock villages were created to showcase indigenous people as if they were part of a zoo.
In a distressing example, in 1906, a Congolese pygmy named Ota Benga was exhibited at the Bronx Zoo in New York City. Benga was placed in the primate exhibit and compelled to interact with chimpanzees and other apes. The zoo director, William Hornaday, labeled Benga as "The Missing Link," perpetuating harmful and racist stereotypes. This exhibition sparked controversy, with black clergymen expressing outrage at the dehumanization of Benga and the demeaning portrayal of African people.
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| Ota Benga at Bronx Zoo |
Sadly, the practice of human zoos persisted even into the later part of the 20th century. The 1958 World's Fair in Brussels showcased a Congolese village, and as shocking as it may seem, a human exhibit was still present in a French safari park near Nantes in 1994. In a deeply troubling instance, Augsburg's zoo in Germany continued these exhibits as late as 2005.
The existence of human zoos serves as a stark reminder of the deep-seated racism, dehumanization, and exploitation that many individuals endured. It is a distressing part of our history that we must acknowledge and learn from to ensure such atrocities are never repeated.
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